New sculpture by Sam Francis now adorns Huntington Library grounds

PASADENA - Finding a home this week among the classical marble statuary on the grounds of the Huntington Library is a monumental 6-foot, 3-inch, 1,500-pound steel sculpture by abstract expressionist Sam Francis.

The untitled work, one of only six manufactured and the only one now in the United States, is on a long-term loan from the Sam Francis Foundation.

Jessica Todd Smith, Virginia Steele Scott Chief Curator of American Art at the Huntington, called it "muscular and dynamic" and a powerful counterpoint to the sleek exterior lines of the nearby Erburu Gallery, designed by Frederick Fisher, which opened in 2005.

"That's its primary backdrop, so it has the spirit of expanding the artistic environment of the gallery into the gardens," Todd Smith said, "and it's very much in keeping with the spirit of the building."

Landscaping remains to be done around the newly installed sculpture, which Todd Smith said was inspired by Francis's experiences in Asia, and is reminiscent of a calligraphic piece.

"It's almost like an Asian character," she said, "so it's a nice connection between the Chinese and Japanese gardens."

Todd Smith said the orange-yellow sculpture, with its "velvety patina and intriguing shape," almost beckons visitors to see more inside the gallery.

The artist - whose "Floating Clouds" painting was a gift from his estate and hangs with other American artworks in the gallery - rarely worked in three dimensions, she said.

The piece was fabricated in 2003, based on a design Francis had developed only into small-scale models before his death, museum officials said.

Debra Burchett-Lere, director of the Sam Francis Foundation, said Francis started a series of ceramic pieces - his first sculpture work - when visiting Japan in 1964.

Later, she said, he made a series of drawings and then in 1970s some scale models in plaster, like the sculpture now at the Huntington.

"We love where the Huntington is placing the sculpture," she said in a statement. "Sam was always very supportive of museums and of the natural environment, so this is certainly a fitting gesture."